Agency Giving Undergoes Overhaul

By Michael C. Lewis / Journal Staff Writer

MARTINSBURG — The United Way of the Eastern Panhandle has found a different way to address the area’s underlying conditions, and become more than just a fundraising organization, by adopting a community solutions model.

“The bottom line is it’s about better accountability, not just giving dollars. We’re showing what the return is on (the donor’s) investment,” said Jan Callen, executive director of the area organization. “Every charity should be able to show its donors the difference their dollars are making.”

In the past, the United Way has been agency-focused, meaning that volunteers and the Board of Directors saw community needs through the lens of many different agencies with different missions, said Trina Bartlett, director of the community impact program.

To receive money, an agency often had to demonstrate the extent of a problem.

“The problem, rather than the solution, determined how we distributed the limited dollars,” she said.

Now, instead of funding services to just meet basic needs, the United Way will develop and invest in strategies that address underlying community conditions, she said.

“In going to this new model, what we really want to be able to show is above and beyond the amount of dollars raised or distributed. It’s not the numbers or bean counting; it’s the actual changes we’re making in people’s lives,” Bartlett said. “We’re moving from an organization of agencies to an organization that funds strategic solutions that raise the common good of communities.”

Callen acknowledged that such a change might not be uniformly well received.

“Anytime change is there, fear is attached to it,” he said. “We’re trying to head off a lot of negativity that goes with it. We are venturing into something different, but it’s something donors should demand from every charity in the community.”

In 2006, the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle raised nearly $941,000, and in 2007, the agency broke the million dollar barrier with more than $1 million in donations. For next year’s campaign, which started in August and runs through April, Callen said there could be a dropoff in annual giving.

“We’re getting information that some of the campaign dollars may be down next year,” said Callen, projecting that the organization is $100,000 away from where it should be at this point in its campaign. “We won’t know until April 2008 whether or not we’ve achieved our goal. We’re hopeful that the donors that come at the end of the year will be there for us.”

Nevertheless, Bartlett said the organization plans to be more than just a fundraising organization. As a neutral convener, the United Way has the ability to bring the community together to develop solutions and leverage more resources than just donor dollars, she said.

“If we work together to tackle issues, what we found is we can make a much bigger impact. There’s so much power in groups and people working together, and we want to harness that,” she said. “It’s about making the Eastern Panhandle a better place to live.”



—Staff writer Michael C. Lewis can be reached at (304) 263-8931, ext. 127, or at mlewis@journal-news.net